Third District Board Member Tita Baja said she felt hurt after Cong. Alexie Tutor posted a photo on Facebook showing the congresswoman dining with three other board members of the district — without her — fueling speculation of a fracture within the once-united Team Kumbati political bloc.
Tutor posted the image on May 30, 2026, showing her alongside Board Members DJ Balite, Nathaniel Binlod, and Greg Jala, captioned: “Bonding night with our Tersero BMs. Nagpabiling matinud-anon.”
Notably absent from the gathering was Baja, who ran under Team Kumbati’s banner in the last elections and had considered herself part of Tutor’s inner circle.
Baja acknowledged the post stung.
“I remain loyal to the people,” she said when asked to react, adding that she genuinely believed she was a member of Tutor’s inner group and could do nothing if the congresswoman intended to exclude her.
The post triggered a wave of reactions and speculation on social media, with many reading it as a signal of shifting political alignments within the third district ahead of the 2028 elections.
Baja said she is weighing three options for 2028: seek reelection as board member, run for Congress, or retire from politics altogether — a decision that carries implications for the district’s political landscape.
Her possible congressional bid carries weight.
Tutor will be term-limited by 2028, opening the seat.
Baja, a former Bohol vice governor who has served as councilor, three-term mayor of Garcia Hernandez, acting governor, and full-term vice governor, is considered one of the stronger potential candidates for the district’s top legislative post.
She would, however, face stiff competition from within and outside the Tutor camp.
Vice Governor Nicanor Besas — Tutor’s father — and Candijay Vice Mayor Christopher Tutor — the congresswoman’s husband — are also being mentioned as possible congressional candidates for the open seat.
Besas is separately being floated as a mayoral candidate for Jagna.
Bilar Mayor Norman Palacio, a Tutor ally, pushed back against speculation of a bloc realignment, saying he was confident the congresswoman’s core group remained intact.
Palacio dismissed the possibility that Baja could peel away incumbent mayors from Tutor’s coalition, saying 16 of the third district’s mayors remain aligned with the congresswoman — Loay, Loboc, Sevilla, Pilar, Carmen, Bilar, Sierra Bullones, Alicia, Candijay, Anda, Mabini, Guindulman, Duero, Valencia, Dimiao, and Lila.
Only the mayors of Batuan and Jagna remain outside the Tutor fold.
Should Baja fully break with Kumbati and pursue a congressional run, Palacio noted she could count on the support of her brother, Garcia Hernandez Mayor Jess Baja, as a base of political support.
Palacio also said last-termer Loay Mayor Hilario Ayuban, who has expressed interest in running for board member, could fill Baja’s slot on the Kumbati slate if the split becomes permanent.